Resident Evil: Divided By Zero
by URNP
Summary: Based off the game, Resident Evil Zero. Rebecca Chambers reluctantly pairs up with the escaped convict, Billy Coen, after they find themselves trapped on a zombie-infested train. Rated M for gore, violence, terrible, inappropriate humor; and out-of-characterness (if that is even a word).
1. Prologue: The Adventure Begins

An eerie, hoarse voice began to monologue:

"A small mid-western town in America: Raccoon City. A solitary island far off in the sea: Rock Fort Island. An island that would become the second Raccoon City: Sheena Island. There are still many unanswered questions about these seemingly unrelated, and yet intensely traumatic events.

"Though it is believed that the international enterprise, Umbrella was somehow involved, little is known as to the origin of this faceless corporation," the voice continued. "When was it established? By whom? And how was the T-Virus created?

"To uncover the truth, we must delve deeper into the events which transpired in the beginning before the mansion incident," it concluded.

XXX

A train traveled through the middle of a forest at night, carrying many passengers to an unseen location. It was seventeen minutes after eight. The passengers either spoke to one another, ate their dinner in silence, slept in their cabins, read newspapers, or wrote in their diaries as they waited for their destination.

"Really?" a man said to the person sitting beside him.

On the other side of the train, a couple sat across from one another at a small, dining table.

"Hmm, do you think so, too?" the woman asked the man who sat across from her.

"Yeah," he replied.

Meanwhile, elsewhere on the train...

"...do about it?" a man asked his friend.

"We should hold off for a while," his friend replied.

"I wonder how those RNP people will react to this?" the first man wondered.

Splattering sounds were suddenly heard.

"Hmm?" a man in glasses uttered, before lowering his newspaper and peering out the window.

Meanwhile, on a nearby cliff, a man, who was barefooted and dressed in a shin-length, white cloak with a blue-colored gem necklace on top, was overlooking the train. He brushed aside a strand of his long, brown hair before raising his hands high above his head. Back on the train, as the man in glasses peered out the window, dozens of slimy creatures rained down, and latched onto the glass, revealing their teeth as they opened their mouths. He gasped as more of them poured down from the sky, then latched onto the window. He stood up, screamed, and then ran away.

The creatures rained down onto the unexpected passengers and train staff from holes in the ceiling. It was never explained how such small creatures could create large holes, let alone reach and fall onto a moving train. The creatures latched onto the train staff and passengers as they panicked and screamed. The train kept on going, despite the attack. The man on the cliff somehow watched the whole attack from afar.

XXX

Two hours later, the S.T.A.R.S. Bravo Team helicopter flew above the Raccoon forest. Everyone sat quietly, and barely made any movements.

_It began as a simple investigation of some bizarre murders in the suburbs of Raccoon City. Nothing in our training could ever have prepared us for the nightmare that ensued. We never stood a chance,_ Rebecca thought as if looking back on this event, even though it hasn't happened yet.

She sat by the window inside of the Bravo Team helicopter, staring ahead. She wore a green, short-sleeved shirt which had the S.T.A.R.S. emblem on its left sleeve and the shirt was underneath a white vest that had a giant red cross with white words "Rescue" on the back, green pants with a black belt and a white utility belt, which had medical packs on it; one in the front, the other in the back. She also wore green and white high tops which had black bottoms and laces, and black, fingerless gloves. Rebecca had short, brown hair with bangs covering her forehead. She wore a pair of white earrings, a pink choker on her neck, and a gray watch on her left wrist.

Ugh, another costume description… The rest of her team, and the pilot they hired from the Raccoon Police Department, were silent. As if on cue with the young woman's words, the helicopter's engine blew out. The aircraft shook, startling Bravo Team and the R.P.D. pilot.

"What is going on?" Enrico asked, yelling in the ears of both the pilot and the co-pilot.

Enrico wore a white, short-sleeved shirt with the S.T.A.R.S. emblem on its left sleeve underneath a reddish brown vest which had "S.T.A.R.S." on the back. He also wore black, fingerless gloves, a gray watch on his left wrist, a black belt which had two pouches on the front, military green pants, and black boots. He had short, brown hair with a part in the middle and combed down on the sides, and a thick, brown mustache under his nose.

"Engine failure! Emergency landing!" Edward, the co-pilot, replied.

Edward wore a white, short-sleeved shirt with the S.T.A.R.S. emblem on its left sleeve underneath a blue vest which had "S.T.A.R.S." on the back. He wore black pants, and black boots with black laces. He had short, golden brown hair. He also wore a headset with a mouth piece, and a gray watch on his left wrist. Yep, two costume descriptions that were back to back.

The rest of the Bravo Team wore similar uniforms with the exception of the color of their vests, the color of their shirts, – or, in the case of Forrest, a lack thereof – and, as stated earlier, one of them was not wearing fingerless gloves. The helicopter, which was flying smoothly over Raccoon forest a moment go, began to descend. Apparently, Rebecca's words had jinxed them.

"Ugh!" Edward groaned.

The aircraft crashed through the trees, swirling around, knocking branches and leaves off the trees. Bravo Team bounced around, bumping and crashing into one another. After several moments, the helicopter crash landed onto the ground below the trees, surprisingly in one piece.

After some time had passed, Bravo Team decided to exit the wrecked vehicle. Rebecca, who stood in the doorway of the helicopter and was the last one to leave, turned back to Kevin, the R.P.D. pilot, and gave him a thumbs up. He saluted in response. He wore a black, short-sleeved shirt which was underneath a yellow vest. He also wore a large, black helmet with a mouth piece, and large, dark sunglasses.

His pants were… wait, he wasn't wearing any pants! The young medic slid the door shut before Kevin could finish saluting, which was rude but she didn't care. This was the last time anyone would see Kevin alive, anyway. In that sense, Rebecca was sealing his fate. She quickly rejoined her team as they surveyed the immediate area.

"Check the current position and investigate the surrounding area," Enrico commanded.

"For what?" Forrest asked.

Enrico narrowed his eyes at him.

"ANYTHING!" he replied, rather harshly. "Besides, you're not supposed to talk."

Forrest became silent after that. A moment barely passed before the S.T.A.R.S. rookie said anything.

Gasping, she said, "Captain, look!" and pointed.

Enrico and the rest of Bravo Team turned to see a MP vehicle, half hidden by the darkness surrounding them. Upon closer inspection, Bravo Team discovered the vehicle was overturned. Two dead soldiers lied near it.

"Hmm?" said Enrico as he kneeled down to get a better look at the wreckage.

Someone called out to him:

"Captain!"

Enrico, a bit annoyed at Rebecca for interrupting his inspection, turned to face her.

"Hmm? What happened?" he asked before standing.

As he walked away, slime oozed down the wrecked van. Enrico rejoined his team just as Rebecca brought a clipboard to her face.

"Court order for transportation. Prisoner: Billy Coen, ex-lieutenant, 26 years old. Court martialed and sentenced to death July 22nd. Prisoner is to be transferred to the Ragathon Base for execution…" she read before Edward snatched the clipboard out of her hands.

He held the clipboard in front of himself, probably to get a better look at the photo of the escaped convict.

"Those poor soldiers. They were good men just doing their jobs, and that scum murdered them and escaped!" he said, shaking the clipboard in his hand for emphasis.

Enrico decided it was his turn to snatch the clipboard away.

"Alright, everyone," he began, examining the photo of the escaped convict. "Let's separate and survey the area. Our friend is brutal and ruthless and has a mullet. Keep your guard up!"

Yeah, because mullets could be _so _deadly… Wait, Forrest had his hair styled in a mullet and he's not a criminal!

"Then why are we splitting up?" Kenneth asked.

Enrico narrowed his eyes at him, raising his weapon.

"To find him faster!" he replied before taking a few steps forward.

"But what about Rebecca?" Richard asked.

He looked over at her. Rebecca returned his gaze. As the two young officers held the gaze, Rebecca's cheeks reddened. She turned away shyly. Richard smiled before turning back to their captain.

"She can't go alone. She's only a rookie!" he continued as the smile faded from his face.

"So? This will be a learning experience for her," Enrico told him. "Practice makes perfect, right?"

Richard didn't say anything further. The team split into several one-man groups (which aren't groups since it was only one man – or, in the case of Rebecca, woman – going alone), and headed in different directions. Rebecca wandered through the forest, deciding now to turn on her flashlight. As she headed further and further away from the wrecked MP van and the Bravo Team helicopter, she began to wonder if she made the right choice to go alone. Sure, it was her captain's orders, but as Richard pointed out, she was only a rookie.

This was her first mission since joining S.T.A.R.S. Bravo Team, so she had no clue how to apprehend a criminal by herself, let alone an escaped convict out in the middle of the woods late at night. To top it off, he was an ex-marine, which made matters worse for the young medic.

_Maybe I won't run into him, _Rebecca thought.

She didn't realize in the next ten to fifteen minutes how wrong she would be. The sound of leaves rustling snapped Rebecca out of her thoughts. She pointed her flashlight and pistol in direction from which the sound came from. She titled her head slightly, trying to see what lied ahead. From where she stood she could make out the silhouette of a train.

"A train…" Rebecca muttered, staring at the train, which was stopped on railroad tracks in the middle of the forest.

Without much thought, Rebecca decided to approach the train. As she drew nearer, torrential rain began to pour down on her. She hoped it won't ruin her flashlight, or she won't be able to navigate in the dark.

XXX

_The door to safety is shut. There is no turning back…_

XXX

Author's note: Well, that was the prologue of "Resident Evil: Divided by Zero." Yes, I know there are other Resident Evil Zero stories that follow the events of the game, but I don't care to be original right now. Besides, I don't have any other fan fiction ideas right now, anyway. Hopefully, I can post chapter one soon. Though, there aren't any guarantees, so don't be surprised if it takes a while before you see the next chapter as I am busy with school at the moment.

Also, as I stated in my recent profile update, this story may not be as long as "Resident Evil 5: Adventures in Africa." Anyway, I hoped you like it… or it'll take me even longer to update!


	2. Ecliptic Express: Meeting the Convict

Rebecca entered the train, clicking her flashlight off for good. Not only because the train car she'd entered was dimly lit, but because she never thought to use it again. Maybe she forgot she had it? Also, the flashlight seemed to disappear once she'd turned it off. She didn't seem to notice, though.

Rebecca looked around, taking in the scenery. The room was embellished with a few extravagant furniture pieces: chandeliers, a rug, and curtains. The chairs looked like slightly larger, more decorated versions of airline seats - from the coach class. Upon closer inspection, the chairs were covered in blood. Also, there were dead bodies resting on some of the chairs. Additionally, blood stained the adjacent walls.

Rebecca didn't seem to mind – or realize that. Instead, she proceeded to the next car. Entering the car, the young medic heard a voice. She didn't know where it came from, but she decided to speak, anyway.

"This is officer Chambers from S.T.A.R.S. Bravo Team. Please identify yourself."

No one replied. She headed deeper into the room.

"Is someone there?" she asked.

Rebecca stopped beside a chair. She turned towards it. She gasped at the sight of a dead man sitting on the chair. Wait, didn't she see the bodies in the previous car? Why was she surprised by this one?

She lowered her gaze, and spotted a battery-operated hand radio on the chair beside the corpse. So, that's where the voice was coming from. Gathering her courage, Rebecca kneeled down, grabbed the radio, and then stood. As she looked down at the handheld device, the corpse turned, then rose from the chair. The reanimated corpse moaned, reaching out its arms toward the young medic.

Rebecca turned towards it, her eyes widening in horror. She then backed up before the reanimated corpse could grab her. She turned, then took a few running steps forward before noticing two more presumably dead men were blocking the door to the previous car. Having no choice, she turned around and put several rounds into the first corpse. It collapsed onto the floor.

She then proceeded to do the same to the other corpses, reloading her clip in the process. Once the reanimated corpses – or zombies – were "dead," Rebecca stared down at them.

"What just happened? I-I thought they were dead," she said to herself.

After a moment, Rebecca gathered the courage to proceed to the next car. If anyone else were in her situation and had survived being surrounded by zombies, they would have gotten off the train, _not_ proceeded to the next car. Rebecca found herself in a hallway. She moved along the hall, until she came across two doors on the right wall. She tried the closest door to her.

Rebecca found herself inside of a cabin with a bunk bed, a small closet, and a nightstand. Herbs, ink ribbons, and handgun ammunition were scattered throughout the room. There was also a hand-written note on one of the beds. Rebecca collected the aforementioned items.

_I don't know what I'll need these for_, she thought, examining the ink ribbons. _But I'll take them, anyway._

Rebecca got her answer when she entered the next room. This room was identical to the other, except this one had a typewriter on top of a night stand. There was also a note beside the typewriter. She briefly read the note, then stashed it away in her front fanny pack. After collecting the items she needed, Rebecca left the cabin.

She headed down the rest of the corridor. She found a single door on the left. Upon turning the knob, she discovered it was locked. The young medic let out a sigh before walking away. Great, she needed a key. Where was it?

Rebecca noticed ahead was a door which led to the front car, and a corpse beside it. Upon examining the door, she discovered it needed a key card. Great, another thing she needed to fetch. Rebecca decided to examine the corpse, even though there was a chance it could reanimate like the ones in the previous car. Rebecca placed her handgun in its holster, got down on her knees, and then brought her face close to that of the corpse.

Anyone else who'd survived a zombie attack would not get so close to a corpse, let alone inspect it, unless they were 100% sure it would not come back to life and attack. Even then, one would be very wary around a dead body in a situation like this. Not Rebecca, though; she's just doing her job. As she searched the dead body, she noticed there was a key in its hand.

_Maybe this key is for that locked door_, Rebecca thought, referring to the locked door back down the hall.

She carefully removed the key from its hand, placed it in her fanny pack, and then continued to search the dead body for other useful items or clues. Meanwhile, someone else entered the area. He wore a grayish purple tank top, blue jeans with a brown belt, and brown shoes. He had a large black tattoo that covered his entire right arm, a five o clock shadow, and had his dark brown hair styled into a mullet. Again with costume descriptions…

The man turned toward the young medic as she looted the dead body. As he watched, the man's eyes shifted from the corpse to her, - and immediately stopped on her backside. His eyes widened as he gazed upon her behind, which was half hidden under one of her fanny packs.

_For a zombie, it sure has a nice ass_, the man thought, after staring at her lower back for what seemed like several moments. He then narrowed his gaze before removing his gun from his back pocket. _Too bad, though, because I have to kill it._

Rebecca paused at the sound of a gun being drawn. She slowly turned around. A muscular man with a mullet stood a few feet away, pointing a firearm at her, his eyes narrowed. He looked familiar to her. Not knowing what else to do, Rebecca slowly rose to her feet.

"Billy… Lieutenant Coen…" she said slowly.

The man, who was eight years her senior, glared at her. He was somewhat surprise that the woman with the boyish haircut, who stood before him, was human and not a flesh-eating zombie.

_Must be my lucky day,_ the man thought.

He loosened the grip on his pistol a bit.

"So, you seem to know me. Been fantasizing about me, have you?" the man, who Rebecca identified as Billy, asked.

Rebecca scowled at him, which acted as a response. Why would she be fantasizing about an escaped convict, especially on a zombie-infested train in the middle of her investigation? And why was she unarmed, knowing there was a possibility of her running into Billy - like now?

"You're the prisoner that was being transferred for execution. You were with those soldiers outside," Rebecca explained, putting two to two together.

Billy turned his gaze onto her left arm, taking notice of the S.T.A.R.S. emblem on her sleeve.

"Oh, I see. You're with _S.T.A.A.A.A.R.S.,_" he said, mockingly.

Who did the escaped convict think she was, a young woman running around in a Halloween costume on an abandoned train in the middle of a dark forest? Halloween was not until October 31st, anyway. Rebecca watched as he lowered his weapon. She finally got a glimpse of his tattoo; though, she couldn't make out what it was supposed to be.

"Well, no offense, honey, but your kind doesn't seem to want me around," the escaped convict told her as he put his gun into his back pocket without putting on the safety – assuming it had one. "So, I'm afraid our little chat time is over."

He began to leave. Rebecca, realizing this, followed him. It was most likely not a good idea, since she had no backup in case he decided to attack, but arresting him was a part of her investigation. She reminded herself she didn't want to go against orders on her first day on the job.

"Wait, you're under arrest!" Rebecca commanded, trying to sound authoritative.

Billy stopped walking, then peered over his shoulder with a stoic facial expression.

"No, thanks, doll face. I've already worn handcuffs," he replied, raising his left arm, revealing the golden handcuffs dangling from his wrist.

Why was his handcuffs the color of gold? Maybe one of those now-dead soldiers ran out of regular handcuffs, and decided to use one of the "toys" he'd bought from an adult store on Billy. If that was true, then no wonder Billy had presumably killed them and escaped; the handcuffs were either made out of cheap metal or plastic. He had waited for an opportune time to break free from his restraints and attack the unexpected soldiers. The ex-marine lowered his arm before resuming his walk.

"I could shoot, ya know!" the S.T.A.R.S. rookie warned.

Billy neither stopped, nor slowed his pace. He just kept on walking, until he disappeared down the hall. Rebecca turned away, then let out a frustrated sigh. She was lucky to be alive, but she'd just let the ex-marine get away without much of a fight. Sure, he was unfazed by her threats, but she should have done more than just that.

Suddenly, a nearby window shattered, spraying glass everywhere as someone crashed through it. Rebecca spun around to see an injured Edward covered in glass sitting under the now-broken window. She rushed to his side as he grabbed his scratched and bruised arm.

"Edward! Are you all right? What happened?" Rebecca asked, placing a hand on his shoulder.

"It's worse than…w-we can't... y-you must be careful, Rebecca," Edward said, struggling to speak. He shook his head before saying, "The forest is full of z-zombies and... monsters."

Rebecca gazed up thoughtfully.

"Zombies and monsters?" she echoed, already forgetting about the zombies she had fought in the previous car.

Edward groaned, dropping his head onto his chest as he slumped against the wall. Rebecca began to shake him when something crashed through another nearby window, startling her and spraying her with glass. She turned to see a half rotten, aggressive canine snarling. It approached her menacingly as Rebecca slowly rose to her feet, removing her pistol from its holster. Great, she went from facing human zombies to zombie dogs.

How could this get any worse? Rebecca pointed her pistol at the dog just as it lunged toward her. Her eyes widened in horror. Without much thought, she fired a round into its head before it could crash into her. The dog flew back, yelping.

As it lied on its side, momentarily stunned from the gunshot, Rebecca fired a few more rounds into the dog, killing it for good. Not wanting to take any chances to see if it was really dead, however, she ran down the hall. Just then, another zombie dog crashed through a window, spraying glass on her before colliding with her. Perfect timing. The young medic stumbled, nearly knocked off her feet from the impact.

Rebecca shook the glass off herself, then spun to face the dog. Before she could point her pistol at it and shoot, the canine chomped its teeth onto her arm.

"Ow!" Rebecca cried before attempting to shake her arm free.

She shook her arm violently for a bit before the dog lost its grip on her, and flew across the hall. It let out a yelp before crashing into a wall. While the dog lied on its side, stunned, Rebecca spun around, and ran through the door leading to the car she'd visited earlier. She didn't want to waste any ammo on that zombie canine. As she entered the room, her radio came to life.

Rebecca removed it from her utility belt, then brought it to her face.

"This is Rebecca, over," she said, speaking into the radio's microphone piece.

"Rebecca, can you hear me? This is Enrico," the respondent said. "What's your location? Over."

"Enrico! Hello? Can you read me? Please respond," she responded, raising her voice.

"Rebecca, I can hear you," Enrico said, lowering his voice a bit. "Now, listen up! We've obtained detailed information on the fugitive from a document found in the wrecked wagon. Billy Coen killed as many as 23 people. Over."

"23 people…" Rebecca echoed, quietly and nervously, staring off into the distance.

Now she _really_ wished she hadn't gone off alone. Her life was now in danger, more so than when she was just facing mindless zombies. She should call for back up.

"We've also confirmed that he was institutionalized, so keep your guard up," Enrico continued. "Can you hear me, Rebecca? Over. Stay alert, Rebecca. He wouldn't think twice about killing you."

Well, Billy had his gun pointing at her head not too long ago…

_Twinkle, twinkle, little S.T.A.R.S., standing in the train car,_ Rebecca thought as she looked around the room nervously, tightening her grip on her radio. _Get out of there with your life, because Coen will kill you with a knife. Twinkle, twinkle, little S.T.A.R.S., standing in the train car._

Rebecca was so immersed in her thoughts about a revised nursery rhyme that she didn't realize the radio transmission had ended. When she finally realized her radio had become silent, she snapped out of her thoughts. Rebecca just missed her chance to get help. She should have, at least, told her captain she knew where the convict was and that their teammate, Edward, had been killed by two undead canines.

Instead, the young medic yelled, "Enrico? Captain! Hello? HELLO?"

She pressed the radio's only button several times, trying to reconnect to the frequency Enrico was on. After failing to reconnect, she gave up, putting the radio back on her utility belt. Rebecca made her way to the next car. Back in the first train car, she was immediately greeted by the scent of decay. Waiting for her were a few human zombies, who'd rose from the dead while she was away.

Great, more zombies were blocking her path. Rebecca didn't get a chance to see if the key she'd acquired from the dead train employee worked with locked door back in the hall near the front of the train. After taking them out, – who, to her surprise, were much slower than the zombie dogs – she checked to see how much ammo she had left.

_5 bullets left in my pistol, and 35 rounds to spare,_ she thought, checking her inventory. _This should be enough ammo to last for a bit until I can find more._

Rebecca reloaded her handgun before heading over to a door she hadn't noticed before on the opposite side of the room. She tried the handle. The door didn't budge. Rebecca sighed when she realized this door was locked, too. Were there any doors on this train that weren't locked?

Rebecca wondered, as she reached her hand into her fanny pack, if the key she had would work with this door. If it didn't, she would have to make the dangerous trek back to hall where that zombie dog awaits her to try to open the other locked door. Rebecca removed the key from her fanny pack, placed it in the key hole, - in which it fit inside perfectly- and then turned it, unlocking the door. Thinking she would no longer need the key, she discarded it immediately after removing it from the key hole. Rebecca then grabbed the door handle, and slowly slid the door open.

Entering the room, she was surprised to not be greeted by the undead. Instead, what lied ahead on her left was a pair of stairs, which led to the second floor. On her right, up ahead, was another sliding door, which had a glowing, red light above it. In the corner near the staircase was a little table, which had a potted plant resting on top of it, and a note. Rebecca decided to examine the area for clues.

Suddenly, the door behind her slid open, startling her. It hasn't been a minute since she'd unlocked the door, and already someone - or something - had entered the stairway area with her. Spinning around, Rebecca was greeted by no other than the ex-marine. How he got to the room so fast, or even knew the door was unlocked, would never be explained. He was probably going to shoot her in the back - or check out her backside again - had she not turned around.

The convict removed his hand from the door, taking a step toward her. He was, surprisingly, unarmed.

"It's gonna be dangerous from here on in. Why don't we cooperate?" Billy asked.

Rebecca took a few steps toward him.

"Cooperate with you?" she whined.

Billy moved to the stairs. He then leaned on the railing.

"Listen, little girl, if you haven't noticed there's some pretty freaked out things on this train," he explained. He stood up, moved to the foot of the stairs, and then ascended some of the steps. "And I, for one, wanna get out of here. I don't think we stand a chance doing it alone."

He turned, then placed his arms on the railing before leaning forward. If Billy really wanted to leave, he could just head back to previous car, then exit the train from the same door he'd used to enter it. If what Edward had said was true, that the forest was filled with the undead, then it would make sense for them to partner up. Another reason could be that Billy was longing for companionship, especially from the opposite sex; though, he probably won't admit that, especially if it were true. Although, this could explain why he hasn't harmed her… yet.

"You expect me to trust you, a wanted felon?" Rebecca complained, placing her hands on her hips as she moved closer to the stairs. "I don't need your help. I can handle this on my own, and don't call me a little girl!"

She pointed a finger at him, angrily. Even if she could handle this situation on her own, being sassy to a serial killer was not a good idea, especially since she was a petite female with no back up whatsoever. Plus, _he had killed 23 people,_ meaning he was _very_ capable of killing. Rebecca could very well be victim number 24 – or 26, if one would count the two dead soldiers outside - if she wasn't careful. Surprisingly, Billy didn't strike her, or even yell back.

Instead, he did a playful gesture by trying to poke her on the forehead. Though, he missed his target by a mere inch.

"Heh. Alright, Miss Do-It-Yourself, what should I call you?" he asked.

"The name is Rebecca Chambers, but that's officer Chambers to you," the young medic replied sharply.

Billy stood up, then moved back to the door. He leaned on it, then crossed his arms.

"Well, then, _Rebecca,_" he said, mockingly. "Why don't you go try, while I wait here."

Rebecca took a step forward, hoping he would budge. Billy stood his ground. Realizing he won't move, she decided to head upstairs and continue her investigation on the second floor. Upon reaching the second floor, Rebecca was greeted by smoke. Across the room were chairs behind blood-stained tables, in which two of them had their cloths on fire; plus, there were dirty plates and knocked over table pieces on the tables.

A plate had shattered on the floor beside a table. There were windows with curtains on the adjacent walls, and one window, which had no curtains, was located at the back of the room and had a ladder on the other side of it. A chandelier hung from the ceiling. An elderly man, with his head down, sat on a chair behind one of the tables with the burning cloth. Not thinking anything was wrong with this, even though the other corpses she'd come across eventually reanimated, Rebecca approached the man.

How oblivious was she to her surroundings?

"Umm, excuse me, sir," Rebecca began. When she received no reply, she placed her hand on his shoulder, then shook him. "Sir?" she repeated.

The man turned his head toward her. Rebecca removed her hand from his shoulder. It appeared that she'd found another survivor. The man's head kept turning, though, which surprised her. Suddenly, his head fell off! Rebecca jumped back, gasping loudly.

The man's body then split in half, collapsing into a heap on the floor beside the chair. Rebecca let out a shriek. She watched as the moving, tiny creatures covered in slime, which the man's body was apparently made of, got back together to form another body. Once fully formed, this creature stood up straight, revealing that the face of the elderly man - which had fallen off the original body - had partially rotted with no irises or pupils on its eye balls. The creature began to approach the frightened rookie, who now stood halfway from the doorway from whence she came.

She pointed her handgun at the staggering creature, then fired the entire clip into it. The creature reached up an arm as it stretched and grew in length before dropping the arm onto Rebecca. She cried out as she stumbled back from the impact. Before she could regain her balance, the monster whipped her with its arm again. She nearly dropped her weapon as she stumbled.

Rebecca wondered how she was going to kill this thing. She winced from pain as she raised her gun, and pointed at it before realizing she had to reload. The creature was getting closer and closer to her as she reloaded her pistol as fast as she could. When it was near, it reached out both arms toward her. Without thinking, Rebecca fired a good chunk of this new clip into the creature, with a few shots going into its head.

The creature's face suddenly split open. The humanoid form the creature had collapsed into a pile of the smaller creatures that made up it. These creatures charged at Rebecca, who now decided to back up. It was too late, for the creatures had caught up with her. They began covering her, threatening to eat her alive.

She screamed as she struggled to free herself. Suddenly, shots rang out as the slimy creatures were shot off of Rebecca's body. Rebecca slumped to the floor as the remaining creatures fell from her body. Billy, who'd shot at those creatures without hitting her, approached her cautiously. Two slimy creatures from the floor decided to jump at the ex-marine.

He quickly reacted _by jumping in slow motion – action hero style - then killing them without missing a shot._ As he landed on his side, still pointing his gun in direction of the creatures he'd killed, the rest of them retreated from the room. As Rebecca sat on the floor, panting, Billy approached her.

"Are you okay?" he asked.

Rebecca gave a thumbs up as response.

"Humph," the convict exclaimed before crouching down beside her.

Suddenly, they heard a voice, which was coming from outside. They turned, then peered out the nearest window to them. Outside, the slimy beings were gathering around a man wearing a cloak as he stood on a cliff. The storm roared on as wind pushed rain into his face. A lightning bolt struck nearby, momentarily illuminating his face as he used a sleeve of his cloak to wipe rain drops from his eyes.

Suddenly, the wind blew up his cloak. The man's cloak lifted, revealing his secret; _he wasn't wearing anything under the cloak!_ Meanwhile, Billy and Rebecca, who were now standing, grimaced as they stared at him. Rebecca's cheeks reddened as she covered her mouth with her hand. Why didn't the pair turn away?

"Who is that guy?" Billy asked.

The train suddenly jerked, almost knocking the duo off their feet.

"Uhh!" Rebecca groaned.

The train started moving forward, heading down the tracks. The pair should have gotten off the train when they still had a chance... When she regained her balance, Rebecca asked, "What's going on? Who's controlling the train?"

"Go and check out the first engine car," Billy ordered.

Rebecca took this as an opportunity to get away from the convict. Though, did she forget there was an undead dog in the hallway which led to the front car?

"Listen! We gotta cooperate with each other from now on. You got that?" Billy called out suddenly.

She immediately stopped walking, then spun around.

"Well, I don't -"

"Clue in, girl! Or maybe you like being worm bait," Billy reminded her angrily, interrupting her.

She took a few steps toward him.

"All right! But you just remember I will shoot you if you try anything funny," Rebecca said threateningly, pointing a finger at him. "Also, I told you not to call me a little girl!"

"Fine," he replied, removing a small box from one of his pockets. "Now take these with you."

Billy tossed a box of handgun ammo to Rebecca. She reacted too slowly, and ended up not catching it. As result, the ammo box made contact with her left breast.

"Ow!" the young medic cried before the box fell off.

She turned away so the ex-marine couldn't see what she was about to do, then she rubbed the sore spot. She then shot him a dirty look, in which he didn't return. Luckily for the convict, she didn't shoot him. After all, it was an accident that the ammo box had hit her. As the pain subsided, Rebecca retrieved the ammo box from the floor, then began to leave.

"If you find anything, give me a call, all right?" Billy called out, displaying his radio, which appeared out of nowhere.

Rebecca grasped her own radio, removing it from her utility belt, and was about to ask Billy what frequency his radio was set to, but decided against it. Instead, she just nodded her head in response. She decided to head back to the other side of the room as she first placed her radio back on her utility belt, then placed the ammo box in her front medical pack.

"I'll go check over there," the young medic said.

"Yeah," Billy replied.

Upon reaching the end, she spotted the ladder through the window. Rebecca reached out, grabbed the rungs, and then pulled herself out the window and onto the ladder. She ascended it as the torrential downpour pounded her. It wasn't until she made it all the way to the top did Rebecca realize she was on the rooftop of the train. She bent over, held an arm above her head to prevent rain from getting into her eyes, and then began walking carefully, so she won't fall off the speeding train.

The wind blew toward her, blowing rain into her view as she walked along the roof. After what seemed like a while, Rebecca reached the other side of the roof. As she wiped rain off her face, she noticed an opened panel filled with wires.

_These wires probably power the whole train,_ she thought.

Rebecca took notice that one of the wires was severed. Having no experience as an electrician whatsoever, she attempted to restore power to whatever this wire led to by pressing the two ends against one another. No electrician would ever reconnect power this way, and none would especially dare to do so during a thunderstorm – even if they were experienced. Rebecca didn't care if she injured herself further, though; she was just doing her job as a SWAT team-like police officer who was an expert on mixing chemicals and was a medic, who was also a coroner – or she just had a dead body fetish – with some experience with reconnecting loose wires on the rooftop of a speeding train; or she could just be very lucky. Take a pick.

Meanwhile, on the first floor, the red light of the dining room door flashed green, indicating the door was unlocked as the current from the wires was reestablished. Rebecca, during this time, removed her hands from the panel. Suddenly, a large mass of slime oozed from the wires underneath, and leapt out at her.

"Augh!" she cried.

Rebecca fell through a conveniently placed hole into the room below. She let out a groan as she landed on her back. The slime, meanwhile, retreated. Rebecca stood, deciding to take this time to mix some herbs together to heal herself with. After healing herself, she investigated the kitchenette.

There was a green herb on a counter near a dumbwaiter, two boxes of handgun ammo on another counter, a first aid spray and a key on the floor near the door. After collecting those items, Rebecca attempted to leave. It turns out there was something jammed into the tiny keyhole, preventing her from opening the door. Great, she was trapped. Instead of calling for Billy's help via radio, she decided to try the dumbwaiter on the other side of the room.

_I can handle this on my own… _echoed in her mind as Rebecca called the service lift.

When it came, she placed the key in the lift.

_Billy will need it,_ she thought.

XXX

Billy was descending the stairs, heading for the dining car. In some magical way, he had learned that the door leading into the dining car was unlocked. He entered, gun at the ready. When nothing jumped out to attack, Billy decided to investigate the room. He found no useful items in the dirty kitchen, which had pans and other cooking utensils lying about on a stovetop and adjacent counters, a shelf filled with junk above the range, a broken cabinet across from the shelf and range, a tightly closed freezer on one side of the cabinet, and a closed panel in a corner near another door, which was conveniently locked.

In addition, he spotted a service lift on the other side of the broken cabinet. He decided to approach it. Once there, Billy pressed the only button on the lift, which caused its little door to open, revealing a key inside. Without questioning, he took it. Billy decided to head to the front of the train.

On his way to the front car, he had to deal with zombies. When Billy finally reached the front corridor, he was greeted by the little present Rebecca had left for him.

XXX

Author's note: Sorry for the long wait (for the one person who's reading this story), but I'd been busy with school. The next chapter won't be uploaded until next month since I still have finals to do. Anyway, leave a review and I hope you'd enjoyed this chapter.


	3. Ecliptic Express: Train Derailment

The undead canine took noticed of Billy as it turned around. It snarled, taking a few steps forward. Suddenly, the dog lunged at him. _Thanks, Rebecca…_ With quick reflexes, Billy wanna-be-action-hero Coen downed the dog.

It gave out one last yelp before it "died." After reloading his pistol, Billy unlocked the door Rebecca had found earlier, then entered the room. This room had books and notes, including A Note from the Conductor, lying on the floor, desk and the shelf above; a red herb and a green herb on the floor, the train map and the map of the United States hanging on walls near a window, a marker board scribbled with incomprehensible text, and a closet door left open ajar. Billy picked up the Conductor's note and the herbs, even though he didn't know how to mix them. One would guess they don't teach people how to heal themselves with medicinal herbs in the Marines…

Billy decided to get rid of his knife, figuring he won't be needing it – since Rebecca wasn't around for him to slash up gruesomely. He walked across the room, checked the closet, and found a briefcase. He grabbed it, then, having nowhere to put it, shoved the briefcase under his tank top. It shifted some as Billy walked with a slight hunch in his back to the wall near the door from whence he came; he did this in order to stop the briefcase from falling out of his shirt. He noticed the map of the train on the wall and, after examining it, Billy pushed a blinking red switch beside the door.

Suddenly, a ladder descended from the ceiling. He grabbed a rung, then climbed up with one hand while holding his shirt in the other. Moments later, Billy found himself in a bar, complete with bottles on shelves inside of a cabinet on his left, a long counter which had a wiping cloth on top of a tray, wine glasses, an unopened bottle and cash register on top of it to his right. Ahead of him, on a wall, was a chalk board and a framed picture beside it, and behind him, on the other side of the opening from whence he came, were barrels filled with various types of alcohol. Stools stood on the other side of the counter.

Billy, at first, was going to see if there was anything good to drink, but remembering he hasn't heard from Rebecca in a while and was trying to get to the front of the train, he decided to leave. Why hasn't she contacted him yet? Upon walking around the counter, a loud screech was suddenly heard from the roof above, which immediately stopped Billy in his tracks. He gazed up at the ceiling as loud, clanging sounds were heard as if something large was walking around outside. Once those sounds ceased, Billy made his way to a door at the end of the room, passing chairs behind small tables that had light fixtures on top of them, which lined the walls on either side of the room.

Entering the next area, he found himself in a hallway that had a chalk board in an easel in one corner, a lamp, a push tray, which had an ice pick on a tray on top of it, and a chair near the wall on his right. Billy, for whatever reason, took the pick from the tray. This would help Rebecca get out of that room; though, Billy didn't know she was trapped. He probably thought she was hiding somewhere, since she can't get off the train – unless she had jumped off the roof in an attempt to get away from him. Her chances of surviving such feat, however, was virtually impossible due to the speed of the train, the darkness of the night, the raging thunderstorm and the trees of the surrounding forest.

There was a red herb and two green herbs in the hall, but Billy decided to leave them. He entered the only accessible room in the hall, since the rest of the corridor was being blocked off by a large pile of slimy eggs. Searching the cabin he had entered, he found a hunting rifle on the bed, an ink ribbon, shotgun ammo, and first aid spray on the floor near a night stand. The closet was locked, so the convict couldn't search it for any more items. Thinking he wouldn't need the herbs, he removed them from his pockets, then dropped them onto the floor.

Why did he picked them up in the first place? Also, how _did _he carry those potted plants in his pockets?! Billy picked up everything except the herbs and ink ribbon, left the cabin, reentered the room with the bar, and then headed back to the ladder once he was there. A light fixture on the ceiling suddenly fell to the floor, then shattered into a thousand, glittering pieces upon contact, which stopped Billy in his tracks. Pieces of the ceiling started to rain down onto the floor.

As Billy looked up at the ceiling, a giant claw poked through the metal frame of the car. The claw was joined by another before the entire ceiling came crashing down. A giant scorpion fell through the hole, then landed on the tips of its legs. The beast let out a screech, raising its claws to attack. It was blocking Billy's path back to the ladder.

He stared in disbelief before removing the hunting rifle off his shoulder. The scorpion began approaching him. Billy ran back to the door from whence he came, spun around, and then waited for the scorpion to come closer. Once it was close enough, he aimed down at its head, then shot the rifle's only two rounds into the creature. He quickly reloaded the rifle.

Meanwhile, the scorpion, screeching in pain, thrust its claw into him. Billy cried out before the claw retracted. After regaining his composure and balance, he fired two more rounds into its head. The scorpion covered its head with its claws as Billy reloaded his hunting rifle. Just as the creature's claws moved away from its head, Billy fired again.

The scorpion screeched in pain, thrusting a claw into his groin. Ouch! The ex-marine cried out, nearly dropping onto his knees as he loosened the grip on his weapon. The creature, meanwhile, retracted its claw. Once he recovered from the attack, Billy fired another round into the creature's exposed head just as it prepared to attack again.

The scorpion began flailing its claws around while spurting out green fluid from its head, which was presumably blood, as Billy narrowly dodged its blows. After a few moments, the scorpion dropped dead. Billy loaded the last shotgun round into the hunting rifle, then sprayed himself with the first aid spray that he'd kept in his back pocket before running to the other side of the room. Once there, he immediately noticed that the bar had been destroyed by the scorpion's landing.

The ex-marine didn't get the chance to try any of the drinks; not even a sip. He was so concerned about reaching the front engine car and the absence of the S.T.A.R.S. rookie that he'd decided not to drink, deeming it unimportant. Now, he somewhat regretted that decision. As he searched the debris to see if there were any salvageable drinks, something caught Billy's eye. Among the rubble by the ladder was a panel opener.

_How am I gonna carry that? _Billy thought.

After a moment, he decided to shove the panel opener down a pant leg without loosening his belt first. Somehow, it worked, and stiffly, Billy descended the ladder, going back into the room below. He decided to head back to the dining car, so he could give Rebecca the ice pick – for whatever reason. The trek back was very uncomfortable for him, since he had a briefcase under his shirt and a panel opener in his pants. Luckily for him, no zombies rose from the dead or else his situation would have worsened.

When he finally reached the dining car, Billy rushed inside. He then made his way to the service lift. Once there, he called the lift. When it arrived, Billy removed the ice pick from his pocket, then placed it inside. He pressed the button to send the pick to the second floor.

As the lift ascended, Billy reached under his shirt to adjust the briefcase. Wait, if he didn't know the young medic was trapped in the room above, why was he sending her the ice pick?

XXX

Rebecca was humming a little tune to herself. Suddenly, the service lift dinged loudly, startling her. She opened the door to reveal an ice pick inside.

_This'll work, _Rebecca thought.

She rushed over to the door, then used the pick to remove whatever was jammed in the keyhole. She then opened the door, and left the room. The young medic found herself back in the room she'd left earlier to restore power to the dining car door. She noticed Billy was no longer here, but a burning zombie, who had taken his place. Rebecca decided to descend the stairs.

When she was back in the stairway area, she decided to enter the dining car. Inside of the kitchen, Rebecca turned just in time to see Billy approaching her with a stiff walk. Before she could ask why, Billy spoke.

"Let's regroup."

"Roger," she responded, trying not to stare.

Rebecca followed as Billy walked awkwardly toward the closed panel. As they drew nearer, she glanced at his side and noticed an object was sticking out of his pants. From where she stood, the object looked like a handle. She wondered what that handle was attached to.

"Is that a handle in your pants?" she asked, stating the obvious.

Billy stopped walking before peering over his shoulder. He wore the same stoic expression on his face from earlier.

"Nah, I'm just happy to see you," he replied. He then resumed his walk.

The young female's cheeks reddened as she decided not to speak any further. She couldn't tell from the tone of his voice if the ex-marine was being sarcastic or serious. Just when they reached the closed panel, Billy wrapped his hands around the panel opener, then carefully removed it from his pants. Rebecca watched in disbelief. Once he successfully removed it from his pants, he used the panel opener to, well, _open the panel. _

When the panel was removed, a crawlspace was revealed. Billy turned to her.

"Ladies first," he said before ushering her into the vent.

Biting her tongue, Rebecca climbed down the vent. Billy followed. As the duo crawled, Billy realized it has been a while since he'd last done this, and was looking forward to when he was no longer on his hands and knees. While he thought about this, he also ogled Rebecca's behind. She frowned as she wondered if he was doing what she thought he was doing.

"Are you staring at my butt?" Rebecca asked, breaking the silence between them.

"With a butt as big as yours, it's hard not to stare," Billy replied.

Billy sure had an awkward way of giving her a compliment – or he was outright insulting her. Either way, his response caused her to furrow her eye brows as her cheeks turned a deep shade of red.

_My butt isn't big! _Rebecca thought angrily.

Little did she know this wasn't the first time Billy had stared at her behind. A moment later, she reached the end of the vent. She stood, then pushed the panel off. It clanked loudly on the floor as she climbed out. Billy climbed out thereafter.

Two infected hounds suddenly burst free from their cages, and attacked. The humans took them out before investigating the area. Beside the aforementioned cages was a cabinet filled with junk, shotgun ammo and a first aid spray; a gas tank and a dirty curtain stood beside the cabinet. A crate was diagonally across from the cabinet and was half covered by a sheet, and several little boxes and a gold ring were scattered about the room. Billy collected the shotgun ammo and gold ring; Rebecca picked up the first aid spray while ignoring the nearby gas tank.

The duo then proceeded through the door at the end of the room, which led to an outdoor deck. Looking around while being pelted by the wind and rain, Billy and Rebecca spotted a green light above a panel located on the railing, and on a wall beside the door was a hookshot. Rebecca went over to the hookshot while Billy approached the panel. Once he pulled its lever, the lock was released. Rebecca grabbed, then removed the hookshot from its resting place.

Afterwards, the duo reentered the previous room. They then made their way back to the kitchen, unlocking the door Billy had found earlier. After returning to the kitchen, the pair ran pass the freezer. Suddenly, a zombie burst through, startling them. After gunning it down, the ex-marine and the young medic reentered the first train car, where they were confronted by two more zombies, whom came back to life while the humans were gone.

After killing one of the undead, - because they figured that none of them would return to this car - the humans headed to the next car. Once there, Rebecca turned to the right, and spotted an opened window. On the other side of the window, on an angle, was a broken ladder. She decided to use the hookshot to reach the roof. She aimed, then fired.

Rebecca let out a shriek as she thrust out the window. She wasn't expecting the great amount of force that the hookshot produced. Alarmed but hiding it behind a scowl, Billy followed, only stopping because of the window.

XXX

Rebecca, shaken from her flight, found herself on the rooftop again. Ahead of her was a hole. She carefully made her way to the hole, then jumped down into a cabin once there. A zombie turned its head at the sound of her landing. Rebecca killed the zombie without hesitation, then took the jewelry box off the floor near the closet.

She examined it, then opened it, revealing a silver ring inside, in which she took. After placing the silver ring in her fanny pack and discarding the jewelry box, she took handgun ammo off of the floor beside the bed. She reloaded her pistol, then put the remaining handgun ammo into her pack. She ignored the knife, which was located on the night stand as she left the cabin.

Eggs that lined the walls of the hallway she'd entered stirred, then hatched. After a few moments, the hall was crawling with newborn slimy bugs. Rebecca decided to leave the hall, which was the same hallway Billy had found the ice pick in. She descended nearby stairs. Back in the passenger car she had flown out of earlier, she and Billy regrouped - because he didn't bother to leave the car and look for her - then they made their way to the front hallway.

Once there, the duo ran all the way to the front door. Upon reaching the door, Billy removed the briefcase from under his shirt, only, somehow, exposing a small portion of his stomach while doing so. Meanwhile, Rebecca fetched the silver ring from her front medical pack as Billy took the gold ring out of one of his pockets. After combining them with the briefcase, the pair opened it to reveal a keycard. Billy removed the card, then discarded the briefcase.

He moved to the door, then used the keycard in the card reader. The door was now unlock. Just as Billy was about to open the door, he heard a voice coming from the other side. He paused, and listened. Before Rebecca could ask him what he was doing, she heard the voice, too.

Both survivors stood still as they listened to the voice that was coming from the other side of the door. Unbeknownst to the person on the other side of the door, two survivors were eavesdropping on their conversation.

XXX

A soldier covered from head to toe in black armor stood outside the door of the engine car, speaking into a radio.

"This is Delta Team, this is Delta Team. We have gained control of the train. Over," he said.

Meanwhile, in a control room somewhere, two men gazed into monitors on the wall in front of them. One man stood while the other was sitting down on a black chair. The sitting man leaned into a microphone.

"Understood," he replied.

This man was Albert Wesker. He wore black sun glasses despite being inside of a building, and a black vest with "S.T.A.R.S." written on the back over a blue, short-sleeved shirt which had the S.T.A.R.S. emblem on its left sleeve. He also wore black pants with a black belt, and black boots. Additionally, he wore black, fingerless gloves and a grey watch on his left wrist. Man, Wesker sure loved the color back.

He also had short, blond hair which was slicked back. The man who stood beside him was William Birkin. Wait, there were _two _Billy's? Birkin wore a long, white lab coat over a white collared shirt. He also wore a red tie, black pants and shoes.

He also had short, blond hair but his was a darker shade and he had bangs covering his forehead. Enough with the costume descriptions already!

"This does not make any sense. How was the T-Virus leaked? And why did it contaminate both the lab in the mansion, as well as a train almost three miles away?" Birkin complained.

Wesker cupped his hand over the microphone, turning to face Birkin.

"That's irrelevant! We must make sure no knowledge of this gets out," he replied. "Destroy the train, completely!"

He glared at Birkin from behind his shades for a moment before speaking into the microphone again.

"How far away are you from the nearest branch line?"

"About ten minutes to…" the soldier trailed off as tiny creatures oozed out from behind a nearby wall.

He turned, and spotted them just before they attacked him. The creatures swarmed all over his body, sinking their teeth into his armor. The man howled in agony, even though they were biting his armor, not his flesh. The solider fired off his machine gun in desperation, shooting everything but the creatures. Because of his panic, the man missed the bugs entirely.

Wesker raised his brow line, which lacked eyebrows, when he heard the gunfire over the radio.

"What happened?" he yelled, even though his facial expression didn't depict concern. He didn't receive a reply from the soldier.

At this time, another soldier, who wore a getup similar to the man who was being attacked, came out of the engine car to see what was happening to his teammate. He, too, ended up being covered by the slimy creatures. Somehow, both soldiers were killed by the creatures after they covered the men's armored bodies. After the soldiers' lifeless bodies collapsed onto the ground, the creatures retreated.

XXX

Billy and Rebecca decided to enter through the door, even after hearing those men being killed. Why they didn't try to help them was left up to interpretation. The duo hurried over to the engine car, running pass the dead soldiers. Billy led the way into the car. Once there, they slowly approached the train's control panel.

The pair suddenly realized that the train's engine had been damaged in the firefight from the soldiers, and the train was rapidly gaining speed. Within a few minutes, the train would derail at the intersection ahead. The brakes must be activated in order to stop the speeding train. Billy and Rebecca surveyed, then messed with the controls of the train.

Although, it could be possible that the train was gaining speed because the pair was pressing numerous buttons without having a clue as to what part of the train each of those buttons operated; or, at least, their fiddling with the controls could just be contributing to the train gaining speed and not directly causing it. Either way, who would assume that? Not them, of course!

"The train will either derail or crash," Billy pointed out, turning to face the medic. "I have to stop this thing!"

Rebecca turned toward the windshield, then blinked. Did Billy know _how_ to operate a train? And if he knew how to, would he be able to stop the train from derailing? Despite these unanswered questions, Rebecca decided to volunteer to activate the brakes in the back.

"I'll go over to the back deck and manipulate the control panel for the brake. You stay here and apply the brake when ready," she instructed.

"Okay," the convict replied.

Rebecca turned to leave.

"Rebecca!" he called suddenly.

She turned back to him.

"Hmm?"

"Don't screw up, okay?"

She confidently placed her hand on her hip before saying, "I won't."

Rebecca took the magnetic card off the control console, narrowly missing the conductor's chair. She then took the handgun ammo box from under a large cabinet and two herbs - one red, one green - off the floor before leaving the car. She headed toward the hallway she'd left earlier, running pass the soldiers who were now rising from the dead. She entered the hall, then ran through it, noticing Edward's body was missing; though, she didn't question its absence. When Rebecca entered the next car, she was confronted by four zombies.

She only took out the zombies who were blocking her path before running to the next car since she only had her pistol and a limited amount of ammo for it. In the next car, Rebecca stumbled across a zombie feasting on the corpse of another person on the floor. The eating zombie was wearing an S.T.A.R.S. uniform. The zombie stopped eating as it sensed Rebecca's presence, and turned to face her. The zombie was no other than Edward Dewey, Rebecca's deceased teammate.

"Edward! No…" Rebecca said, shocked.

So, that's where he went. Edward turned all the way around as he stood, then, with outstretched arms, stumbled toward her.

"Stop! Don't come any closer!" she cried.

As Zombie Edward approached her, Rebecca raised her pistol, shut her eyes, and then fired several rounds into him, emptying her clip. After Edward collapsed onto the floor, momentarily stunned from the gunshots he'd received, Rebecca, with tears streaming down her face, ran the rest of the way to the back of the train. When she was in the outer rear car, she went over to a wall that had a card reader on it. She inserted the keycard. Suddenly, the monitor beside the reader lit up.

Beside the monitor were ten buttons. On the screen was a zero followed by a forward slash and a number, which was 36. Ten lights, which were unlit, were under the monitor. Rebecca guessed she had to press the buttons to not only light up those lights, but to create a number that matched up with 36. Basic addition, right?

She had to hurry, though; _she was running out of time!_ She pressed three eight times, then six twice. Her number matched up. After activating the brake, Rebecca quickly whipped out her radio, then attempted to contact Billy.

"This is Rebecca. I have engaged the control device for the brake. Over," she said loudly, wiping the remaining tears from her face.

"Roger! I'll put the brake on now!" Billy replied.

He gazed at the monitor in the control panel. This was similar to what Rebecca had done, except Billy couldn't see what his numbers were adding up to. Also, his number was different from hers; his number was 81. The ex-marine knew that they were running out of time, so he decided to rush. He pressed nine eight times, pressed eight once, then finally pressed one, all the while not bothering to see if he made the right calculations.

Billy then pulled a nearby lever to activate the brakes. Sparks flew from the metal wheels as the brakes tried desperately to slow the train as it sped down the tracks. Upon reaching the intersection, the train switched tracks, and the right side of it suddenly lifted off the tracks, threatening to derail. Since there was not enough momentum behind it, the train crashed back down onto the tracks, heading toward a tunnel. The tunnel, however, was a dead end since it was barricaded, and the train was going too fast to stop in time.

The train smashed through the barricade, then derailed. It turned in mid-air, then landed on its side before sliding deeper into the tunnel. Finally, after several moments, the train grinded to a halt. It appears that Billy's earlier observation was partially correct since he predicted that the train would either derail or crash. The train ended up doing _both,_ however.

XXX

Billy awoke to find himself on a pile of rubble outside of the train. Surprisingly, he was unscathed. In addition, none of his bones seemed to be broken. He stood, not bothering to wipe the little pieces of debris off of himself. When he realized he didn't see the young woman, Billy began looking around for her.

"Rebecca? Rebecca?!" he called, his voice rising in volume when he said her name the second time.

"I'm here…" Rebecca replied softly.

She stumbled into view, obviously injured from the crash. She limped toward the convict, holding her arm with one hand as she winced from the pain she felt. Somehow, Billy had escaped from the wreckage without being injured but she didn't. How was that possible when he was thrown out of the train via the windshield?

"Are you all right? Hey, we managed to stop the train," Billy said before gesturing toward the burning wreckage, completely changing the subject.

"Yes, we managed…" she repeated.

"We have to find a way out," he said, turning back to her.

Suddenly, the duo heard moaning. They turned around to see a few zombies had survived the derailment; though, only one of them was able to stand. The others were missing their legs, and they were on fire. Deciding not to waste any ammo on them, the humans exited the tunnel via a door on the wall across from the burning train. They found themselves in a sewer.

Once Rebecca had healed herself with an herb mixture after combining the herbs she'd found earlier, she and Billy waded through the sewage, until they came across a platform. After getting on the platform, Billy climbed a ladder. Rebecca did the same. When he reached the top, Billy pushed up the panel. He then pushed it aside before climbing out of the manhole.

Rebecca followed. Upon exiting the hole, Billy and Rebecca slowly rose to their feet as they looked around, noticing they were in a large hall. There were stairs that led to the second floor. A large painting hung on the wall near the landing between the first and second floor. Two torches stood on either side of the lower stairs, and on the sides of double doors on the second floor.

There were paintings, and statues on the walls on the first and second floor. There were several doors in this hall; some were on the first floor, others were on the second. A table, which had a typewriter on top, stood next to the stairs, and there were items on the floor near the table. A chandelier hung high above the lower stairs. The front double doors were barred by the swords of knight statues.

A white female statue holding a scale was on the balcony of the second floor. Billy noticed a design on the floor in front of the lower stairs.

"The Umbrella Research Center?" he queried. How did he find out they were in the Umbrella Research Center just by looking at the company logo?

Rebecca, meanwhile, was fixated on the large painting, which seemed to be a painting of a man. She slowly ascended the nearby stairs, heading toward the painting. As she neared it, she recognized the face of the man in the portrait as the humanoid creature from the train. She gasped.

"The first general manager, Dr. James Marcus," the ex-marine said, creeping up behind her.

Meanwhile, in the control room of a completely different location from where the pair was but the same one from earlier, Wesker and Birkin were watching the survivors as they looked at the painting through one of the monitors.

"Who on earth are those people?" Birkin asked.

"She's just a rookie, a member of S.T.A.R.S.," Wesker answered.

"Hmm, and what about the male?"

"I'm unfamiliar with hi -"

The unseen speakers in the hall where Billy and Rebecca were suddenly sprang to life, interrupting Wesker.

"Hmm?" Wesker muttered.

Meanwhile, in the hall, Rebecca and Billy looked around, trying to find the source of the sound.

"Attention! This is Dr. Marcus. Please be silent as we reflect upon our company motto," the voice instructed. "Obedience breeds discipline, discipline breeds unity, unity breeds power, power is life."

The monitors Wesker and Birkin were looking at suddenly switched to an image of the cloaked man, who was now in a different location. The man chuckled.

"Who are you?" Wesker asked.

"It was I, who scattered the T-Virus in the mansion," the man said. "Needless to say, I contaminated the train, too."

"What?" Birkin exclaimed. He was confused.

"Revenge...on Umbrella!" was the man's reply.

He closed his eyes, then stretched out his arms. As if responding to his ridiculous gesture, the slimy monsters gathered around, then formed a mass in front of him, recreating the humanoid creature Rebecca saw on the train.

"Dr. Marcus?" Birkin said, shocked, leaning forward.

The man chuckled before saying, "Ten years ago, Dr. Marcus was murdered by Umbrella. You helped them, didn't you?"

Wesker raised his brow line upon hearing this, even though his overall facial expression did not depict concern. The cloaked man, during this time, continued to laugh.

XXX

_Are the faint sounds of footsteps those of survivors?_

XXX

Author's note: After a month, I finally uploaded a new chapter. Sorry about that folks. Anyway, I decided that I'll update this story monthly on the 15th. That way, I'll have time to write the next chapter without rushing. Besides, only three people follow this story, so I don't see a reason to update the story weekly or bi-weekly.

Anyway, I hope that you enjoyed this chapter. Let me know that you did via reviews and/or following the story (for those of you who aren't following the story already).


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